Four Loko is No More-ko

Four Loko--the drink designed to get you drunk as quickly as possible while keeping you awake as long as possible–will no longer appear at a convenience store near you.

Phusion, the company that created the controversial alcoholic beverage Four Loko, announced that they will no longer produce their signature beverage thanks to legal agreements with 20 different state attorney’s offices. The drink has been on stores shelves since 2005 but it didn’t become a full fledged controversy until 2010 when its daring blend of caffeinated energy drink and 12-percent alcohol by volume starting popping up on college campuses and in teenagers’ hands. Its sudden popularity forced some states to ban the sale of the drink outright beginning a legal wrangling between state attorney’s offices and the beverage company to alter the drink’s “dangerous” mixture of caffeine and alcohol.

The agreement not only stops production on the product but it also forbids the company from doing other things with their advertising such as promoting binge drinking and posting ads at schools and colleges. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan called the agreement to halt production in her state “a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to reduce access to dangerous caffeinated alcoholic beverages, especially to underage drinkers.” Phusion president Jim Sloan also called it “a practical way to move forward and an opportunity to highlight out continued commitment to ensuring that our products are consumed safely and responsibly.”

We think its great that our government stepped in to stop Four Loko from getting into the people’s hands. After all, it’s not like you can go to any bar in America and order a tall glass of Jack Daniels with Coca-Cola mixed in it, right?